1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cyclone dust collecting apparatus for a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly to a grill assembly of a cyclone dust collecting apparatus for a vacuum cleaner used for preventing dust from being drawn into a vacuum-generating device.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 shows a conventional cyclone dust collecting apparatus for a vacuum cleaner. The illustrated cyclone duct collecting apparatus represents an earlier product of the present assignee, so that it cannot be used as the basis to deny the inventive step of the claims.
According to FIG. 1, the conventional cyclone dust collecting apparatus 10 for a vacuum cleaner comprises a cyclone body 20, a dust-collecting portion 30, and grill assembly 40. The grill assembly 40 is installed at the cyclone body 20 by a fastening member such as a screw (not shown).
An air suction passage 21 connected with a brush assembly (not shown) of the vacuum cleaner is disposed at an upper part of the cyclone body 20. Air drawn through the air suction passage 21 flows in a tangential direction along the cyclone body 20 and forms a whirling air current.
An air discharge passage 22 connected with a vacuum-generating device (not shown) of the vacuum cleaner is disposed at an upper central part of the cyclone body 20. In order to prevent filth from being drawn into the vacuum-generating device, the grill assembly 40 is disposed at an inlet of the air discharge passage 22.
The grill assembly 40 has a grill body 41 and a sealing member 42. The grill body 41 has a plurality of passages 46 formed therein in order to draw into an air. The sealing member 42 has a filth backflow prevent unit 43 formed at an outer part of a circumference thereof.
An upper part of the grill body 41 is connected with the air discharge passage 22 of the cyclone body 20, and a lower part of the grill body 41 is sealed by the sealing member 42. The sealing member 42 is connected with a bracket 44 by a screw 45, and the bracket 44 is integrally formed with the grill body 41.
In the conventional cyclone dust collecting apparatus 10 for a vacuum cleaner with the above construction, if the vacuum-generating device of the vacuum cleaner operates, the air containing various filth on a cleaning surface is drawn into the cyclone body 20 through the air suction passage 21.
The air drawn into the cyclone body 20 forms the whirling air current, and dust included in the air current is separated by a centrifugal force and collected in the dust collecting portion 30. The cleaned air flows to the vacuum-generating device through the passage 46 and the air discharge passage 22.
On the other hand, the sealing member 42 sometimes has to be separated from the grill body 41 to clean and repair the vacuum cleaner. After finishing the cleaning and repair, a user reassembles the sealing member 42 with the grill body 41.
There is a problem with this design in that the vacuum cleaner might be operated in a case that the sealing member 42 is not assembled with the grill body 41 due to the user""s mistake. In this case, the dust is drawn into the vacuum-generating device through a lower opening of the grill body 41. Thus, an improvement to the present design would be desirable.
The present invention now provides a grill assembly of a cyclone dust collecting apparatus for a vacuum cleaner that is capable of preventing dust from being drawn to a vacuum-generating device even in the situation where the vacuum cleaner is operated when the sealing member is not assembled with the grill body.
The grill assembly of the cyclone dust collecting apparatus for a vacuum cleaner according to the present invention comprises a grill body having a connecting passage connected with an air discharge passage of the cyclone dust collecting apparatus; a sealing member removably connected with the grill body in order to seal one opening of the grill body; and valve means for sealing the connecting passage of the grill body when the sealing member is not assembled with the grill body.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the valve means comprises a valve member disposed on the inside of the connecting passage and capable of moving between open and closed positions, preferably in upwardly and downwardly directions, and valve opening means for opening the connecting passage by driving the valve member to move it upwardly to the open position when the sealing member is assembled with the grill body.
In a more preferred embodiment of the present invention, the valve opening means comprises at least two valve opening pins protruding from an upper side of the sealing member. Optionally, means for urging the valve member downwardly toward the closed position may be included.